Elena Bárcena

Coalescing individual and collaborative learning to model user linguistic competences

A linguistic, pedagogic and technological framework for an ICALL system called COPPER is presented here, where individual and collaborative learning are combined within a constructivist approach to facilitate second language learning. Based upon the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the ability to use language is viewed as one of several cognitive competences that are mobilised and modified when individuals communicate. To combine the different types of learning underlying the European Framework, a student model has been developed for COPPER that represents linguistic competences in a detailed way, combining high granularity expert-centric Bayesian networks with multidimensional stereotypes, and is updated following student activities semi-automatically. Instances of this model are used by an adaptive group formation algorithm that dynamically generates communicative groups based upon the linguistic capabilities of available students, and a collection of collaborative activity templates. As well as the student model, which is a representation of individual linguistic knowledge, preferences, etc., there is a group model, which is a representation of how a set of students works together. The results of a student’s activity within a group are evaluated by a student monitor, with more advanced linguistic competences, thereby sidestepping the difficulties present when using NLP techniques to automatically analyse non-restricted linguistic production. The monitor role empowers students and further consolidates what has been previously learnt. Students therefore initially work individually in this framework on certain linguistic concepts, and subsequently participate in authentic collaborative communicative activities, where their linguistic competences can develop approximately as they would in ‘real foreign language immersion experiences’.

JaBot: A Multilingual Java-Based Intelligent Agent for Web Sites

This paper presents a novel type of intelligent agent with a multilingual natural language interface, which retrieves information from within a Web site. This agent, named JaBot after the fact that it is a bot which has been programmed in Java, has been designed and developed by the authors in an attempt to solve common Web site problems related to information retrieval. JaBot runs quickly and efficiently, and rather than running directly on the Web site pages, it is connected to a lexical semantic map. This map is based upon the contents of the Web site in question together with other associated linguistic knowledge.

I-PETER: Modelling Personalised Diagnosis and Material Selection for an Online English Course

In this paper the underlying knowledge model and architecture of I-PETER (Intelligent Personalised English Tutoring EnviRonment) are presented. This system has been designed for the on-line distance learning of English where too many students restrict the teachers possibilities to provide individualised guidance. I-PETER is made up of four domain models that represent linguistic and didactic knowledge: the conceptual framework related to linguistic levels and knowledge stages, and the educational content and study strategies. The student model represents the knowledge that the student has learnt, the study strategies, and his/her profile. A students command of English is evaluated by interpreting his/her performance on specific linguistic units in terms of three related criteria, rather than by a general linguistic competence ranking. Evaluation consists of a diagnostic task model which assesses student performance, taking the form of a Bayesian network, and a selection mechanism that proposes appropriate materials and study strategies.

Languages for Specific Purposes in the Digital Era

Explores the direct relation of modern CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning) to aspects of natural language processing for theoretical and practical applications, and worldwide demand for formal language education and training that focuses on restricted or specialized professional domains. Unique in its broad-based, state-of-the-art, coverage of current knowledge and research in the interrelated fields of computer-based learning and teaching and processing of specialized linguistic domains. The articles in this book offer insights on or analyses of the current state and future directions of many recent key concepts regarding the application of computers to natural languages, such as: authenticity, personalization, normalization, evaluation. Other articles present fundamental research on major techniques, strategies and methodologies that are currently the focus of international language research projects, both of a theoretical and an applied nature.

Modelling ubiquity for second language learning

Distance second language learning is essentially practical and skill-based requiring personal, social and occupational language-mediated activities with other speakers using the target language. Computer technology has long been used to try to overcome the challenges of distance learning although with limited success. To improve this situation, the authors developed a theoretical framework for second language learning that combined a cognitive student model with a collaborative group model. As the underlying access to information and computational resources becomes more ubiquitous, the framework is less able to represent how a specific computing device and real-world context mediate the selection and structuring of materials and activities, therefore, limiting the frameworks effectiveness for second language learning. Hence, the existing models need to be complemented with a functional ubiquity model, which characterises the way in which the degree of ubiquity defines the types of learning activities and resources available in the framework.

Exploring collaborative reverse subtitling for the enhancement of written production activities in English as a second language

This article explores the effects of collaborative reverse subtitling as an activity for the promotion of writing skills in English as a second language. An initial analysis is undertaken of the pros and cons of the role of translation in second language learning historically and the role of information and communication technology in this process, with special attention being paid to recent initiatives on the didactic use of audiovisual translation in the form of subtitling, and the evidence of their efficacy obtained so far. Subsequently, a completed research project is described, which was aimed at promoting second language learning among distance learning university students through collaborative reverse subtitling. Specifically, the project aimed to explore both the potential of a guided subtitling activity for the development of written production skills, and also the dynamics of undertaking such an activity collaboratively, in order to gain insights on the social, cognitive, metacognitive and transfer mechanisms that can be activated in collective study. Finally, we reflect on the need to accumulate evidence on multimodal translating scenarios combining individual and collective work for the development of communicative language competences, through further research and classroom use, in order to consolidate and refine these findings.

Modelling User Linguistic Communicative Competences for Individual and Collaborative Learning

In this article, an innovative framework for use in Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning (henceforth, ICALL) systems (as developed by the ATLAS research group) is presented in terms of the different models that compose it. It is argued that such a general framework allows the design and development of ICALL systems in a technologically, pedagogically and linguistically robust fashion, thereby avoiding the use of ad hoc knowledge models, which prove difficult to move from one system to another. Such a framework has been designed to overcome three problems present in most second language learning systems: the oversimplification and reduction of the vastness and complexity of the learning domain to a few formal linguistic aspects (studied in closed and decontextualised activities), the lack of underlying pedagogic principles, and the complexity of automatic language parsing and speech recognition. The framework attempts to capture and model the relevant pedagogic, linguistic and technological elements for the effective development of second language (henceforth, L2) competence. One of the goals were that any ICALL system developed around this framework would structure the complex network of communicative language competences (linguistic, pragmatic and sociolinguistic) and processes (reception, production and interaction) within the L2 learning process in a causal quantitative way, adapting such process to the progress made by a given student.

Enhancing authoring, modelling and collaboration in e-learning environments: UNED research outline in the context of E-Madrid excellence network

In the last years, authoring based on e-learning standards has been consolidated as a core factor of industry and development of interoperable and effective virtual learning environments. However, there is a need for further research on abstraction to provide a more instructional view in the context of authoring tools in a variety of ways, in order to avoid being driven by Learning Technology (LT) specifications, facilitate instructional knowledge aggregation, and to provide an appropriate level of clarity and semantics in the design of collaborative activities. We propose a combination of techniques to provide this instructional abstraction in the context of the new European educational model, combining instructional layers and collaborative scripts in authoring tools, and semantic web techniques for extending e-learning material in order to harness the wealth of existing web content and semantically labeled repositories.

Reflections on the Future of Technology-Mediated LSP Research and Education

In the introduction to this volume, we promised to present a state-of-the-art of technological and methodological innovation in the teaching and processing of specialized linguistic domains. It is our belief that the chapters included in this compilation have not only offered valuable insights into the promised state-of-the-art but also opened a number of approaches that will help to shape the future of CALL and LSP research, teaching and learning.

On-Line vs. Face-to-Face Development of Interactive English Oral Competence: An Empirical Contrastive Study

This article presents a comparative empirical study of the effectiveness of a traditional face-to-face classroom vs. on-line technology for developing interactive oral English competence. The motivation for this study comes from the Clark – Kozma debate regarding the role and effectiveness of digital media in language learning. This question is updated to reflect the nature of modern technology and the way in which languages are currently taught. The learning scenario used for this experiment is presented, the results of which show that while the on-line group did not improve their oral competence as much as the face-to-face group, this was arguably due to behavioural patterns and the related practical difficulties experienced on-line. The authors conclude that, following Kozma’s line of reasoning, ICT-based distance learning of second languages can be as effective as face-to-face learning only when measurements are taken to change the behavioural habits of students and to help them acquire the group discipline that these on-line environments demand.